Kaiser eye doctor helps man see straight for first time since childhood
“Strabismus” could affect as many as 30,000 people in Contra Costa and is correctable
“I look at the picture and go ‘wow’! I just feel good.” – patient Kyle Emard
“It’s an out-patient surgery. You go home the same day.” – Dr. Daniel Greninger
By Allen D. Payton
After living with being both cross-eyed and deaf for most of his life, 49-year-old Kyle Emard can now see straight thanks to the talent and skills of Kaiser Permanente ophthalmologist, Dr. Daniel Greninger, whose office is in Antioch. He corrected Emard’s vision impairment known as strabismus.
“After I was born my eyes would look straight ahead. But when I was five, my eyes started to go inward,” Emard shared through a sign language interpreter. “My mom asked me if I wanted surgery. I said, ‘no, no’.”
And he never did have the corrective surgery, until last year.
“I never had any bullying,” Emard said. “I was playing football, wrestling and traveling all over the country. My grandfather had a travel agency. It didn’t bother me. People would ask me what was wrong with my eye. They thought I was blind in one eye. During conversations people would look past me, not sure which eye to look at. I’d think, ‘they’re not looking at me’. I’d say, ‘I’m looking at you’.”
“I graduated from high school. I got ready for college. Then I bought a house,” Emard continued. “My mom asked me, again if I wanted surgery, and I told her ‘no’.”
“Strabismus describes eye misalignment problems,” Greninger explained. “In Kyle’s case this is most likely attributed to accommodative esotropia. That’s a condition where a person’s eyes turn in excessively due to them trying to focus. Kyle is far sighted.”
“This is very common for eye misalignment problems,” the doctor added. “People have a hard time looking at those with strabismus.”
“Sometimes it would be a serious discussion and people would say, ‘look at me’, And I was,” Emard shared. “It was annoying.”
“For some people it’s more than annoying,” Greninger interjected. “For people with strabismus it’s a quality-of-life impact issue.”
“What is particularly unique for me from the doctor’s side of it is Kyle also has hearing impairment. He has to communicate visually,” he continued. “Sometimes people with strabismus and hearing impairment have double vision. Sometimes depth perception is affected.”
Emard began wearing his first pair of glasses when he was five years old. But his vision progressively worsened, through the years.
“Kyle mainly looked out of one eye,” the doctor shared. “But surgery was done on both eyes. More on the right eye than the left.”
“For people with hearing impairment it’s called Usher Syndrome in which people have both hearing and vision impairment,” Greninger continued. “People assumed Kyle had that. Usher syndrome is a completely different genetic condition in which patients often have very significant hearing and vision deficits and are often functionally blind. In Kyle’s case, I think people knew he was deaf, and then saw his eye drifting and assumed that he also couldn’t see due to Usher syndrome, which would be incorrect.”
“People assumed I was blind in one eye,” Emard shared.
Asked if it was difficult to read a book, watch TV or go to the movies, he said, “No.”
“His sight was fine. He could see 20/20 but he was only looking out of one eye,” the doctor replied. “If you have strabismus as a child, often the brain learns to ignore one eye to avoid seeing double. In adults, acquired strabismus can often result in double vision. Kyle’s problem, accommodative esotropia, typically develops between 2-6 years of age, and is related to hyperopia, or far-sightedness.”
Emard said he continued to wear glasses, then mainly contacts in high school. He went snow skiing, snowboarding and dirt biking.
“I wouldn’t go up high places, just small hills,” he shared. “I played roller blade hockey, defensive end in football. That was all before.”
A graduate of Leigh High School in San Jose, Emard attended Gallaudet University in Washington, DC.
“It’s one of the best known colleges for the deaf. All the instruction is in ASL (American Sign Language),” Greninger added.
“It’s a muscle issue. There are six muscles that are attached to the eye that move it in different directions. Up and down, left and right, and torsion that twists the eye,” he explained. “In strabismus, sometimes it’s a disease of the eye muscles. More commonly it’s the brain not telling the eye to do something. Our brains are usually hardwired to know how much to turn to focus.”
The Surgery
Asked when he decided to have the surgery Emard responded, “After my mom passed away three years ago. My family had money. Everything I was doing was done for the deaf organization. I felt it was the right time.”
The surgery took place last September.
“I met Kyle in 2022 after I had received a referral from one of my colleagues, a consult request. We set up a video chat with an interpreter,” Greninger shared. “We do video consults, first. For this condition it’s important for me to know the history of the condition.”
“We had that first video visit. We used some remote tools which allowed Kyle to take photos and videos at home,” the doctor continued. “We were able to use the components of technology that we didn’t have five years ago. I then had him come in for a complete eye exam to make sure his eyes were healthy.”
Asked if the technology is better, Grenginer said, “It’s safer, now. It’s about an hour-and-a-half surgery.”
“I can’t go into the brain and turn a screw a quarter inch to change how the brain controls the eye,” he explained. “In the surgery, we put in an eyelid speculum, make a small incision over the white part of the eye and find where the eye muscle is located. We put in a small suture where the muscle connects to the white of the eye. Then I detach the muscle with surgical scissors and move it to a new position. If we move it back, this creates some slack and decreases the force on the eye for turning.”
“I wear special surgical loops to help me see. But it’s all done with hands no lasers,” the doctor stated. “The amount we move the muscles is determined by the measurements we take in the office. Deciding which muscles to move and in which pattern based on the person’s problem are the intellectual work of my specialty.”
“I don’t want to over-compensate or under do it,” he continued. “It’s done in millimeter precision. We’re measuring the half-millimeter. Each millimeter moves the eye three degrees.”
“I knew I was nervous out of fear of losing my eye,” Emard shared.
“Each time I saw you I was more comfortable,” he said to the doctor.
“I don’t remember the surgery. When I woke up, I thought, ‘I’m ready’. But I looked and was shocked,” Emard exclaimed.
“It’s general anesthesia surgery so you’re asleep the whole time,” Greninger said. “We were able to get a sign language interpreter to be there in Walnut Creek the whole day, which I think is very important to give people the same level of care. I was really happy the leadership and nursing staff were able to provide that.”
“We had to move three muscles on Kyle’s eyes. One muscle on his left eye and two muscles on his right eye,” the doctor explained. “First, we relaxed the muscle on the left eye. Then on the right eye we tightened the outside muscle and relaxed the inside muscle.”
“I remember the right eye was much more red than the left,” Emard explained. “After surgery I did have double vision for a little while but then it went away. I had full vision. I could see all the way around. It was strange.”
“After the surgery I felt the same,” he added.
He used eye drops for a few a days, “but the redness lasted a few weeks,” Emard shared.
Asked how long the recovery time is Greninger said, “About six to eight weeks. I usually tell patients in two months’ time people won’t be able to tell they had the surgery. Kyle came back to see me about six months later to see if everything was fine, about March of this year.”
“Sometimes I forgot. ‘Did I have surgery?” Emard stated. “I posted and let everyone know on Facebook and showed the before and after photos and got almost a thousand likes. After my surgery I cried a lot because my mom wasn’t around to see it. But she’s happy, now.”
Emard lives in Livermore, works in Fremont as a middle school counselor and has one child, a 15-year-old son.
Asked what his son thought Emard said, “He said ‘wow!’ He was shocked. He just kept looking around my eye, opening my eye. He was used to looking at me inward.”
“On the day of my surgery my son was at school, and he was all worried. He said my dad’s fine and the teacher said, ‘good’. The week after he had a football game and my friend drove me. I sat alone by the goal post. I told people I didn’t want to talk yet I’m still healing. But I had to be there.”
Asked if it has impacted his job Emard said, “It’s about the same” then spoke of the difference between the school pictures from last year compared to this year.
Asked if he feels different about himself, he said, “Oh, yes. I look at the picture and go ‘wow’! I just feel good.”
“After surgery my friends were gathering and said they missed my lazy eye,” Emard said with a laugh. “I’m happy every day.”
Asked if people who have the surgery get counseling after, Dr. Greninger said, “The psycho-social impact of strabismus has been well studied. Characters in movies with strabismus often are portrayed with other disabilities, and people may wrongly assume that all people with eye misalignment have other intellectual handicaps. Studies have shown that childhood strabismus can negatively impact a teacher’s perception of a student’s motivation or focus. In addition, strabismus in adulthood can sometimes be a barrier to success in the workplace or finding a romantic partner.”
“Even the term lazy eye – we don’t use that term,” he continued. “Some people despite having strabismus they use the term lazy eye. It has a certain connotation to it. We think if it as a negative There’s a misunderstanding of people with strabismus.”
30,000 County Residents Have Correctable Vision Impairment
With offices at Kaiser Permanente Antioch Medical Center on Deer Valley Road, Dr. Greninger grew up in San Ramon, graduated from Cal High and earned his undergrad at Dartmouth College. He did his residency at UCSF Medical Center in Ophthalmology followed by a Fellowship in Pediatric Ophthalmology and Adult Strabismus at Oregon Health Science University in Portland.
“I started at the Antioch Medical Center in 2013. It’s been about 10 years of offering the surgery in Contra Costa County,” the doctor shared. “About half of my practice is adult strabismus and about half are children. We do about 100 to 150 surgeries like this each year.”
“We estimate we have about 15,000 with eye misalignment problems in our service area,” Greninger stated. “Sometimes people can have a medical problem like a stroke, thyroid eye disease, a neurological condition or facial trauma from an accident or assault. They can cause eye alignment problems. Probably half my adult patients had it as children and it either came back or it was never dealt with.”
He also estimates there are as many as 30,000 people in Contra Costa County suffering from strabismus which is correctable.
“Many people have this and don’t know something can be done or has been on the back burner for a long time,” Greninger stated. “Sharing stories like Kyle’s is good to let people know something can be done. I have patients come to me and say, ‘I wish I had come to you earlier’.”
“I try to put myself in the patient’s shoes to see how they’re thinking. It’s a leap of faith for a patient. It takes a lot of bravery to trust a doctor with your eyesight,” he said.
“It’s an out-patient surgery. You go home the same day. Most of the eye surgeries are done in Walnut Creek,” Greninger added.
Pittsburg: Maya Cinemas joins 2nd National Cinema Day offering $4 movies Sunday, Aug. 27th
Celebrates the power of movies to bring us together, with all movies, all formats, all showtimes, all day for no more than $4
Maya Cinemas in Pittsburg is excited to partner with the Cinema Foundation to celebrate the second annual National Cinema Day this Sunday, August 27th.
Maya Cinemas will be participating in the one-day event, which celebrates the power of movies to bring us all together, and discounted admissions for all movies in all formats (including Premium Large Format screens) will be no more than $4. Maya Cinemas will also offer $4 Medium Popcorn, $4 Large Soda and a $4 Kid’s Tray.
To celebrate National Cinema Day on August 27th, dozens of movies in all formats at all participating theaters will be no more than $4, including new films opening this weekend like Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story, The Hill and Retribution, current box office hits like Barbie, Oppenheimer, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, and Sound of Freedom, recent family hits like Blippi’s Big Dino Adventure and Disney’s The Little Mermaid Sing-Along, to classic re-releases like Jurassic Park.
For more details, visit NationalCinemaDay.org or MayaCinemas.com. Join friends, families, and communities of moviegoers at a theater near you.
ABOUT MAYA CINEMAS
Maya Cinemas was chartered in 2000 with a mission to develop, build, own and operate modern, first-run, multi-plex movie theaters in underserved, family oriented, Latino-dominant communities. Maya Cinemas offers first-run Hollywood movies and unique content through its Canal Maya program in high-end theaters focused on quality of design, state-of-the-art film presentation technology, and providing first-rate entertainment with superior customer service. The Maya Community Foundation is dedicated to the development and enrichment of the lives of people in the community in which Maya Cinemas serve.
ABOUT THE CINEMA FOUNDATION
The Cinema Foundation is a donor-supported 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit – is dedicated to promoting the essential cinema exhibition industry by developing future diverse workforces and growing moviegoing communities through research, education and philanthropy.
Since March 2022, the Cinema Foundation’s mission is dedicated to shaping the future of the great collective experience of moviegoing and the cinema industry. It works to support and impact the health of the cinema sector both in the short term and for years to come and is continuously expanding its contributions to the magic of moviegoing. The Cinema Foundation builds on NATO’s mission and relationships and expands NATO’s impact in ways that help individual employees and companies as well as the industry as a whole. We are the Foundation of a great industry, thecinemafoundation.org.
Contra Costa drivers Clymens, Foulger, Wagner, DeCarlo claim Antioch Speedway wins
Davis also winner
By Candice Martin, DCRR Racing Media
Antioch, CA…August 19…Trevor Clymens of Brentwood won the 20 lap IMCA Sport Modified Main Event Saturday night at Antioch Speedway. The first win of the season for Clymens kept his championship hopes alive.
Dylan Connelly of Antioch set the early pace ahead of Clymens and Billy Garner of Antioch. Kenny Shrader of Pacheco slipped past Garner for third with an inside pass on Lap 5, and Garner spun in Turn 4 for a Lap 7 yellow flag. Connelly led the restart with Shrader slipping past Clymens for second. An inside pass on the front stretch on Lap 10 put incoming point leader Jason Ryan Jr of Oakley into third. The intense battle for second saw Clymens get past Shrader on Lap 14, but Shrader made an inside pass on Clymens on Lap 15 to reclaim second.
Undaunted, Clymens went around the outside and made a big move to take the lead from Connelly in Turn 4 on Lap 17. Clymens maintained a good pace and ran smoothly down the stretch to claim the much needed victory. Connelly settled for second ahead of Shrader, Tanner Thomas of Turlock and Jacob Mallet, Jr. of Oakley.
Troy Foulger of Oakley won the 25 lap IMCA Modified Main Event. This was the fourth win of the season for the current point leader aboard the Bowers Motorsports owned entry.
Josh Combs of Roseville set the early pace ahead of Andrew Pearce of Oakley, but an inside pass on the front stretch on Lap 3 put Foulger into second. Foulger slowly reeled in Combs and made an inside pass on the front stretch of the ninth lap to take the lead. Pearce was next to run down Combs, finally making an inside pass on the front stretch on Lap 18 to claim the runner-up spot. However, nobody was stopping Foulger as he won ahead of Pearce, Combs, Chris Sieweke of Santa Rosa and Terry DeCarlo Sr of Martinez.
Tom Davis of Los Molinos won his seventh Print Club Mini Stock Main Event. This was the Mini Stock Mayhem race with purse money greatly increased for the occasion thanks to a fundraising effort by Laina Bales. Point leader Davis was piloting the Delbert Rios owned entry.
The race had to be restarted after Kelly Campanile spun on the front straightaway and was hit by Wyatt Lakin of Diamond Springs. Davis led Rick Berry of Modesto after that. Daniel Bond of Oakdale settled into third and made an inside pass on Berry for second on a Lap 8 restart. The leaders caught slower traffic, which proved to be the undoing of Bond when Brycen Bragg of Placerville spun in Turn 4 on Lap 15 and collected him for a yellow flag.
Davis led Berry and Tyler Applebaum of Antioch on the restart. However, Patrick Kelley of Clovis slipped past Applebaum for third on Lap 18. Tony Quinonez of Corning made a late surge from an earlier yellow flag. Davis pulled away to victory with Quinonez crossing the line second ahead of Berry, Kelly and Applebaum.
Danny Wagner of Bay Point won the 20 lap Delta Dwarf Car Main Event. It made a clean sweep weekend for the reigning champion, who won at Watsonville the night before.
Wagner led fiance Ellie Russo of Bay Point on the start with Pete Piantanida of Discovery Bay running third. Piantanida made a Turn 4 pass on Russo for second on Lap 2 with Dublin’s Devan Kammermann making an inside pass on Turn 4 for third on Lap 3. Russo came back strong on the outside in Turn 2 a lap later, but the tenacious Kammermann made another inside pass in Turn 2 on Lap 6 to reclaim third. A yellow flag waved for a Turn 4 tangle between Russo and Chris Durden of Hollister on Lap 8.
Wagner led Piantanida and Kammermann on the restart. Championship contenders Kammermann and Chance Russell of Antioch battled fiercely for the third position. However, Kammermann began to pull away as the race wore on. Barrett Gooch III of Anderson spun on the back stretch for a Lap 19 yellow flag. Wagner led Piantanida and Kammermann on the restart and they finished in that order with Russell and Gooch completing the Top 5.
Nick DeCarlo of Martinez won the 20 lap IMCA Stock Car Main Event ahead of Raymond Noland of Porterville. DeCarlo led most of the way until Noland made an inside move with two laps to go. DeCarlo came back strong on the inside on the final lap and won a photo finish against Noland.
Racing resumes next Saturday night with the second round of the Triple Threat Series for the BCRA Midgets. BCRA Lightning Sprints and Vintage Midgets will also be in action along with the Pacific Coast General Engineering Hobby Stocks, West Coast Sport Compacts, Delta Dwarf Cars and Hardtops. For further information, go to www.antiochspeedway.com.
Antioch Speedway Race Results – August 19, 2023
IMCA Sport Modifieds
Heat Winners (8 laps)-Kenny Shrader, Dylan Connelly. Main Event (20 laps)-Trevor Clymens, Dylan Connelly, Kenny Shrader, Tanner Thomas, Jacob Mallet Jr, Joseph Pato, Billy Garner, Jason Ryan Jr, Mark Garner, Dutch Jantz.
IMCA Modifieds
Heat Winner (8 laps)-Buddy Kniss. Main Event (25 laps)-Troy Foulger, Andrew Pearce, Josh Combs, Chris Sieweke, Terry DeCarlo Sr., Buddy Kniss.
Delta Dwarf Cars
Heat Winners (8 laps)-Danny Wagner, Pete Piantanida. Main Event (20 laps)-Danny Wagner, Pete Piantanida, Devan Kammermann, Chance Russell, Barrett Gooch III, David Rosa, Justin Bingman, Joe LeDuc, Ellie Russo, Chris Durden.
Print Club Mini Stocks
Heat Winners (8 laps)-Rick Berry, Tom Davis. Trophy Dash (4 laps)-Tom Davis. Main Event (20 laps)-Tom Davis, Tony Quinonez, Rick Berry, Patrick Kelley, Josh Applebaum, Daniel Bond, Logan Lakin, William Fogle, Brycen Bragg, David Carson.
IMCA Stock Cars
Heat Winner (8 laps)-Raymond Noland. Main Event (20 laps)-Nick DeCarlo, Raymond Noland, Andrew Pearce DNS.
Antioch man pleads guilty to leading organized theft of lottery scratchers
Has history of arrests by multiple agencies; group committed more than 100 thefts in 7 counties
By Ted Asregadoo, PIO, Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office
The Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office and officials with the California State Lottery announced today that Ryan Anderson plead guilty to nine felony charges as the ringleader of a sophisticated organized retail theft ring.
The 32-year-old Antioch resident (born 1/18/91) was the mastermind behind a group responsible for committing more than 100 organized retail crime thefts from stores authorized to sell California Lottery Scratchers and redeem winning Scratcher tickets for prize money. Anderson, and other associated with him, targeted convenience and grocery stores throughout the counties of Contra Costa, Alameda, Marin, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano, and Stanislaus.
“Organized retail crime is serious a crime that will not be tolerated in our communities,” said District Attorney Diana Becton. “We will continue to work with our retailers and all of our state and local justice partners to hold these offenders accountable with arrest, prosecution, conviction, incarceration, and full restitution.”
By early 2022, the California State Lottery investigators — working with multiple law enforcement agencies and Contra Costa DA’s Major Financial Crimes division — identified Anderson as the ringleader of a group responsible for 71 separate thefts of lottery tickets valued at a total of $95,565.00 and an additional $59,105.00 in prize money stolen from 65 retail locations across 7 Northern California counties between March 27th, 2022, and October 25, 2022. The retail crime spree stopped when Contra Costa prosecutors were able to keep Anderson in custody.
Under state laws, the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office was able to prosecute Anderson for all his crimes, even though they occurred in multiple counties. This is because state laws allow a single county to prosecute offenses if a crime — or the effects of a crime — crosses county lines.
During a court hearing in Martinez today, the California State Lottery made a victim impact statement noting that “tens of thousands of dollars” Anderson and others stole victimized not only the California State Lottery, but also its retail partners, many of which are “small, independently owned businesses that rely on the sale of Lottery games to thrive.” Moreover, lottery players were victims who lost out on the opportunity to win, and “public school students who have been robbed of additional funds to support important programs and enriching learning environments.”
The terms of the plea mean that Anderson will spend three years in state prison, admit probation violations, and pay full restitution to the California State Lottery. In court, Anderson presented a letter of apology to the victims of the crimes he committed saying, in part, that he wants to make an “honest living” so he will be able to “pay back any money [that] is owed.”
The lengthy investigation into these incidents was favorable due to the partnerships between the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office, the Contra Costa Probation Department, the Security/Law Enforcement Division of the California State Lottery, and the collaborative efforts of dozens of local law enforcement agencies.
According to localcrimenews.com, Anderson, a 5’11”, 170 lb. Black male, has a history of arrests dating back to 2015 by multiple agencies including Antioch PD, Concord PD, Walnut Creek PD, Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office and Sacramento Sheriff’s Office for a variety of crimes such as assault with a deadly weapon or assault with force likely to produce great bodily harm, vandalism, vehicle theft, attempted robbery, petty theft, DUI and while license suspended, and burglary.
Case No. 04-22-01154 | The People of the State of California v. Anderson, Ryan
Case No. 04-203281-1| The People of the State of California v. Anderson, Ryan
Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.
In Memoriam: Pittsburg native Mary Vigil passes at 101
Mary Vigil
December 7, 1921 – August 11, 2023
It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Mrs. Mary Vigil, a beloved member of our community. Mary passed away peacefully on August 11, 2023, at the age of 101.
Mary was born in 1921 in Pittsburg, California to Andres and Elvira Moreno. Mary was well-known in the community for her kindness and generosity. During and after her 39 years of working at the telephone company, Mary dedicated herself to community service. She was an active member of her church and spent many hours volunteering her time and talents to various charitable causes. Throughout her life, Mary was recognized for her altruism by the City of Pittsburg, the Catholic Daughters of America, and the Pittsburg Chamber of Commerce among others.
Known for her volunteer work at the Church of the Good Shepherd, the Pittsburg Historical Society, Sutter Delta Medical Center, and for delivering holy communion to local parishioners who were homebound, Mary earned an esteemed reputation for her all of her charitable work.
Aside from her public service, Mary selflessly served as a caretaker for over 50 years to her beloved sister who was confined to bed for most of her life.
Mary was a devoted wife to her late husband, Leo Vigil, Sr., a loving sister to her late siblings Lillian and Joe Moreno, and a dedicated mother to her three children, Sylvia Gray, Judy Dunning and Leo Vigil, Jr. Mary is remembered for her warm smile, her love of dancing, and her unwavering faith. Her memory will live on through her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, who will carry on her legacy of love, kindness, and strength.
Rest in peace, dear Mary. You will always be in our hearts.
Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, August 23, 2023, at the Church of the Good Shepherd at 10:00 am, the reception will immediately follow at The Good Shepherd Parish Hall.
12th Annual Delta Harvest Run September 10
Half marathon, 10K, 5k and 1-mile Family Fun Run fundraiser benefiting Delta Realtors Community Service Foundation
By Patti Shaner Runners and Volunteers are needed to participate in the 12th Annual Delta Harvest Run. 100% of the net proceeds goes to the Delta Realtors Community Service Foundation. The DRCSF is a non-profit organization run by local Realtors and affiliates. Since its establishment in 2005, the DRCSF has been offering scholarships to graduating high school seniors at each of the high schools from Pittsburg to Discovery Bay. It is estimated that the Foundation has awarded over $100,000 in high school scholarships since its inception. In addition to scholarships, the Foundation consistently donates money to local food banks, Community Chests, Homeless Shelters, Elderly Make A Wish, and other charitable organizations in East Contra Costa County. The Delta Harvest Run offers a half marathon, 10K, 5k and a 1 Mile Family Fun Run. The DHR begins and ends at the beautiful City Park in downtown Brentwood at the corner of Oak and 2nd Streets. The flat route meanders thru the tree lined city streets and on the peaceful and scenic Marsh Creek trail. The run is facilitated by a professional race and timing company. All participants will receive a finishers metal, a custom performance-shirt, a swag bag and snacks at the finish line. Back by popular demand the runners will receive a token for a free beer, an ice cream or a coffee. The DHR will also award age group metals as well as overall male and female trophies. The half marathon begins at 7:30 a.m., with a prerace warm-up lead by a professional instructor prior to race time. The awards ceremony will take place at The City Park immediately following the race. For more information about the run or to registration as a runner or a volunteer go to the website at www.deltaharvestrun.com. You can also call the race director Patti Shaner at 925-584-1614. Applications for scholarships will be available at each of the high school career centers by early December. Interested seniors can also call Tonia at the Delta Associate of Realtors at (925) 757-8283 to receive an application. The Delta Realtors Community Service Foundation is proud to support our community.DA charges five Antioch, Pittsburg officers with obstruction of justice, bribery for fixing traffic tickets
Face six complaints; three APD personnel arrested Thursday now on unpaid leave
By Ted Asregadoo, PIO, Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office
Contra Costa District Attorney Diana Becton announced Friday, August 18, 2023, the filing of charges against five officers who engaged in a criminal conspiracy and accepted bribes for voiding the citations of friends while serving as sworn police officers for the Antioch and Pittsburg Police Departments.
“The charges set forth in these complaints allege offenses of public corruption,” said District Attorney Becton. “As District Attorney for Contra Costa County, my role is to seek justice and work on solutions to improve our communities. The legal action we’ve taken here today reflects that commitment.”
In all, six complaints were filed in Superior Court of California, County of Contra Costa. The alleged offenses center on fixing traffic violations of associates of sworn peace officers. The defendants are: former Antioch officer Timothy Manly Williams and current officers Calvin Prieto, Andrea Rodriguez and Ben Padilla and former Pittsburg officer Juan Ernesto Mejia-Orozco.
On March 22, 2022, state and federal investigators obtained search warrants for the cell phones of a number of officers. During a forensic analysis of the phones, investigators uncovered evidence of criminal wrongdoing, which culminated in conspiracy to obstruct justice and bribery.
Timothy Manly-Williams also faces a federal criminal indictment related to violations that arose out of a joint DA/FBI investigation.
In addition to the criminal conduct, a large trove of overtly racist, sexist, and homophobic text messages was uncovered. The conduct of the officers has compromised a number of cases and triggered scrutiny under the California Racial Justice Act (PC 745).
As previously reported, Manly-Williams, who is no longer with APD, and Mejia-Orozco, were indicted on Wednesday and arrested Thursday following the FBI investigation, along with two current and two former Antioch officers as well as one current Antioch community service officer and one current and two former Pittsburg officers.
In a Friday evening email, Acting Antioch City Manager Kwame Reed wrote, “All staff members that received federal indictment have been placed on unpaid administrative leave.” They include Officers Morteza Amiri and Eric Allen Rombough and Community Service Officer Samantha Genoveva Peterson.
Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.
Antioch missionaries share of their experiences of Niger trip during military coup
“what do we do? I’ve never been in a coup before…So, our team got together and prayed and worshiped the Lord… Let’s skip the panic part and say the Lord will rescue us. And you guys came together here and prayed. Then we said, let’s get to work,” – Pastor Steve Miner
“somebody from the embassy said the airport has refused fuel. But make no mistake we are leaving on this plane, today.” – Maria Miner
“The Lord is faithful, and I knew he was going to get us home” – college student Madison Heyer
By Allen D. Payton
During a Welcome Home service Sunday morning, August 13, 2023, 10 of the 11 missionaries from Antioch’s Cornerstone Christian Center and School shared their experiences while stranded for a week in Niger, following a military coup that shut down the West African nation’s borders. The only one who wasn’t there for the reunion was the youngest team member, Madison Heyer, the daughter of Principal Logan Heyer, as she had already returned to college preparing for the fall semester. (See related articles here and here)
Pastor Steve Miner Shares About Trip
“We went to put on a camp for 250 children in the Niamey region. Our theme for this camp was the Kingdom of God over the kingdom of darkness. We felt attacks from the kingdom of darkness from the minute we got to SFO,” Pastor Steve Miner shared Sunday morning about the challenges they experienced on the trip.
“That’s Thursday night,” he continued. “We get to Niger on Saturday and all 22 bags don’t make it. We called Turkish Airlines. Sunday night we get a call from the airport and all 22 bags were there. We get there and they won’t release the bags to us. It was a shakedown. They wanted some money from us. They shake us down for $200. It’s all we had.”
“Then we faced an African rainstorm. By this time, it was well into Monday morning,” Miner said. “But we put on a camp. It was wonderful. The second to last day we were told it was a coup de tat. I think we learned of it from people back here. I thought ‘what do we do? I’ve never been in a coup before’.”
“It was the last day, we were supposed to go on an excursion to see the hippos. We were to go to the Radison Hotel the nicest one in Niger,” he continued. “We learned that day we weren’t going anywhere, and we couldn’t go on the hippo ride.”
“For Americans being told not to go where we wanted to go” was difficult the pastor explained.
But they had the help of “a Christian General from the American Air Force, we had the head of security from Samaritan’s Purse who started to text me. It was such a blessing.”
“Our airline tickets meant nothing, now,” he stated. “The Holy Spirit put a verse in my heart. Psalm 31. It was David who wrote, ‘Praise be to God for he showed me his love while I was in a city under siege,” reading from Psalm 31:21-22. “David was in fear.”
“We forget the thing the Lord brought us through last week, last month,” Miner continued.
“Yet, you heard my cry for mercy,” he finished reading the Bible passage. “So, our team got together and prayed and worshiped the Lord.”
“Let’s skip the panic part and say the Lord will rescue us,” Miner stated. “And you guys came together here and prayed. Then we said, let’s get to work.”
“We got to put desks together. Fix desks. Sanded, primered. We washed walls,” he explained. “We were getting ready for a new school year.”
“We came back last Sunday. Praise the Lord,” Miner exclaimed.
“Fox News who did the initial interview with us. They asked, ‘Would you do it, again?’ Everybody on the team said, ‘yeah, we’d do it again’. Because they understand what it means to be a disciple.”
“We are on mission here in Antioch. We have been sent,” he continued and saying “As the Father has sent me I am sending you,” quoting John 20:21.
“You feel the weight of people’s prayers lifting you up. You experience the presence of the Lord,” Miner stated.
“I wouldn’t trade living in the middle of a coup for anything. We get interviewed. It gives you a story to tell about God’s faithfulness,” the pastor continued.
“They said ‘yes, we’d go back’. And I said, “yes. We’re making disciples’,” he concluded.
Team Members Share of Their Experiences
Elidia Bird was the first to share saying “My biggest take away from this trip is the power of prayer…the partnership with God. The enemy was trying to stop us at the gate. But God had a plan.”
She then shared about a girl named Zarah (in photo) and that she wrote a letter to one of the girls.
“There’s no language barrier that can stop the Word of God,” Bird stated.
“I wouldn’t want to be led by anyone else,” Nutce Castelluccio said of Pastor Steve and Maria Miner, when sharing of his experiences on the trip. “The kids. They were so joyful. When we worshiped, they’d be dancing and dancing.”
Pastor Steve’s wife, Maria Miner was next to share saying, “This is a faithfulness of God celebration.”
“I do know the reason this team was so amazing was we were supported by your prayers,” she continued.
She chose the Armor of God as the theme for the week. Maria read from Ephesians 6:10-18 which describes the parts of the armor and then said, “You will be proud to know that all of the children left that camp with that entire passage memorized.”
“I have never felt the schemes of the devil like I did in Niger, Africa,” she stated. “The final day we taught during the storm…all the power went out. There is a battle between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. Our weapons are invisible. I felt harassed by the enemy. When I felt weak…I reached out to people to pray with me. We would worship and pray and go do what the Lord had for us to do. We were not battling against flesh and blood.”
“We got to the airport. The airport was closed. There was one plane there, our plane,” Maria stated. “About four hours in somebody from the embassy said the airport has refused fuel. But make no mistake we are leaving on this plane, today. We may have to go to another country to get fueled. It was at that point I felt the Lord saying start praying.”
“Nine hours later we were on the plane and told to unbuckle…when we were refueling,” she continued. “Then they announced we have enough fuel to get to France.”
Jennifer Bartoni shared next saying, “We’re going back. I want to thank all of you guys for your prayers and support. My plan was to go to Mexico on a mission trip. But my passport didn’t come in on time. God had a plan for me to go to Niger.”
“I was scared. I reached out to God for strength,” she stated. “Before the trip I was afraid to fly, afraid to speak in front of people.”
Bartoni then quoted Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
“I asked God to help me face my fears. So, He did,” she stated.
When it was her turn to share Jill Lawrence said, “He knew this coup was coming. We didn’t.”
She spoke of facing health issues before they went.
“I sing on the worship team. Worship really speaks to my soul,” she stated.
“After the coup happened, I was asked to go share my testimony at a church there,” Lawrence continued. “We felt like the early church. We felt like we were in the Old Testament. We were tramping through the sand. The whole church, everyone was one accord. It was after the coup had happened. Had we left we would not have experienced it.”
“We were able to tune into our local church service and worship with you” while at a home in Niger, she shared with the congregation. “It’s that one accord. God’s got you in the palm of his hand. That was what was so life changing about this trip.”
Margret Rickli shared next, saying, “This is my second year to go on the trip. I know on mission trips I hear God a little bit clearer. This one morning I heard very clear ‘wait’.”
“I’m a planner. I make my plans. My plan was to be home that week and set up my classroom. I was thinking ‘wait’? The plan was to be home. God spoke to me and said my plans are what’s best. This weight came off my back.”
She spoke of cleaning and organizing the classrooms in Naimey.
“I would have never had that experience had I not been there,” Rickli stated.
“A group of girls came running up to me and I said those are my girls,” she continued. “My family was back here…sometimes at 3 and 4 in the morning I was on the phone with them.”
They set up her classroom back here.
“That’s one of the ways God showed me the waiting,” Rickli shared. “God was not just working in us, there he was working in you. I just needed to see, let go, let God. Be patient. I just thank Him for that opportunity, this year.”
Scott Wells, Holly Heyer’s father and Madison’s grandfather shared next saying, “What I learned is God can use you no matter how old you are.”
“We’re missing someone up here. Maddy’s back at college,” he continued. “My wife stayed home. Sheila (his other daughter who lives in southern California) came up and stayed with her.”
“We worked. We couldn’t go home. We prayed. We worshiped every morning,” Wells said. “We said, ‘OK, God. We’re here, what do you want us to do?’”
“I was a teacher, a principal for 41 years and that’s what we did,” he stated. “It was familiar to me to go to the school every day…and fix desks. We worked for the Lord.”
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord…for it is the Lord Christ you are serving,” Wells said quoting Colossians 3:23-24.
“It was a blessing to me just to help that school. We got to do a little part to help them for that school year coming up,” he added.
Holly Heyer, Wells’ daughter and Madison’s mother shared last saying, “We were a trio. Dad, me and Madison. But this team is my family. We lived that way for a while.”
“Our bonus time we were there, as we called it…some of us were scared. I never felt more peaceful in my life,” she continued. “We’re here. We’re working together and we felt the peace of God. I know that was from your prayers, here.”
“We were just praying. People were in random, different rooms. If a song came up to somebody, we were just singing. Praying for the preschool kids because this is where they’re going to meet Jesus,” Heyer said. “It was a blessing for us just to be praying for the kids. They’re just the same people. They have a school, it’s just in Niger. I got to pray for them. I got to see some of the kids. They’re so precious. I wanted to bring them home with us.”
“Scraping gum for Jesus,” she said with a chuckle.
Bobbi Jennings shared about their trip home.
“We land in Washington DC. We’re all still together. Then the separation starts,” she stated. “We came as a team. We wanted to leave us a team. But that was not to be. It was hard. Steve and Maria were frantically trying to get flights for us. So, we went in four groups. I wanted to be with our team, with our family. It was on the last flight, that last plane in Texas we were able to be together.”
She and Elidia were together on the flight. They were able to get into the cockpit and take a photo with the pilots after sharing about their trip and photos.
“I said, ‘you know, you’re our final flight home. Can I pray over you?’ So, I prayed over our pilots,” Jennings said. “I said, ‘when I get home, I’m going to get down on the ground and kiss it’ and I did.”
“I give all the thanks and glory to God,” she added.
Pastor Steve closed out the sharing time and service saying, “I have to say thank you to you and to Hannah (Foster) and Logan (Heyer). I think they lost more sleep than we did.”
“We all had a part in this. My mom in Texas went to her Senator’s office,” he continued. “There’s nothing better than to be a part of the family of God. We had people back home working their tails off. I just want to thank you.”
“We are on a mission and Antioch needs us. And the Lord has placed us here for a reason,” Miner stated. “We’re going to be strong abroad. But we’re going to be really strong, here…where we live. We’re going to get after it.”
College Student Madison Heyer Shares About Her First International Trip
When reached for comment about her experience, Madison Heyer, a 2022 graduate of Cornerstone Christian High School said, “When everything went haywire with the coup, I was thinking, this is a bummer, I have to get home and get back to school. But I had to rethink and change my heart and determine what the Lord wanted me to do. I thought, ‘you have to go where the Lord wants you to go and do’.”
She’s a sophomore at California Baptist University and a Resident Assistant in one of the apartment complexes on campus which required her to return before school starts September 5th. Madison is studying elementary education, following in her grandfather’s, grandmother’s, dad’s, mom’s and older sisters’ footsteps who have all been or are currently educators. She’s also minoring in Christian Studies.
About her trip experience Madison said, “the whole time, I was really excited to go, it was VBS (Vacation Bible School) and something I wanted to do for my career. I was doing the most as possible since I was the kid. No one required me to. But I wanted to be as helpful as I could.”
“This was my first international trip and what a story,” she exclaimed.
“My first thought was disbelief. Especially with the missionaries (Pastor Neil and Dannette Childs) who are there,” Madison shared. “With the news, there, it isn’t always accurate. It was initial fear. Then lots of questions came to mind. How was I going to get back to school? Are we able to fly home? Can we finish Vacation Bible School?”
“I was thinking, I’m going to finish that VBS program, then decide what else to do,” she continued. “We rallied around with the team and prayed. Pastor Steve was really great. We didn’t let the kids know about the coup.”
They did finish the VBS and “we ended up deciding to help even more to get the school ready for when the school year starts in October,” Madison shared.
“I was helping out the same way (as the others on the team), cleaning the classrooms. What I did, specifically was scrape the gum off the floor,” she said with a laugh. “I did a lot of sweeping. I was happy to do it.”
“I was communicating with my boyfriend (who is a student at CBU) through Whatsapp, and he was kind of freaking out. So, he called the White House,” Madison shared with another laugh.
About the trip home she said, “That was one of the scariest points. We were in the airport, and we could see the plane. They said, ‘we don’t have any gas for this plane’. So, I was praying a lot about that. Then we got on the plane, and they said we have enough gas to get to France. That was such a relief.”
Asked about her future plans and what she wants to do with her degree Madison responded, “I’ll go on mission trips in the future. That’s what the Lord has called me to do. I have a strong call for missions. I want to teach overseas, probably teach missionaries’ kids. Teach children in different countries, especially about Jesus.”
“With my mom being there, that was a blessing. It was such a comfort. So was my grandpa. It was so exciting being there with her. It’s something my siblings didn’t get to do. She’s truly amazing,” Madison stated.
“The Lord is faithful, and I knew he was going to get us home,” she added.
Pastor Steve Thanks Senator, Congressman
During the previous week’s service, Pastor Steve offered thanks to those who helped the team leave Niger and return home.
“First of all, I am so grateful to be part of such an incredible family. The support and efforts from people back home have been incredible. We would not be home today if it were not for their prayer and actions,” he said. “Hannah and Logan galvanized so many people into action including our government. If it wasn’t for our people making them aware there is no way they would know we were even there.”
“And I am grateful that Senator Feinstein’s and Rep. Garamendi’s offices listened and went into action,” the pastor continued. “When the State Department called me in Niger to tell me they were going to take our team, I thanked him and he said, ‘You can thank your congressmen and senator for this’. So, I am grateful that they truly did represent their constituents.”
“I hope everyone can experience the power of Jesus through a healthy church as we during this crisis. If everyone did, we would have less coups in the world!” he added.
For more information about Cornerstone Christian Center and School visit their websites at cornerstoneantioch.com and www.cornerstonechristianschool.net.
9 Antioch, Pittsburg officers charged with civil rights violations, steroid distribution, wire fraud, destroying evidence
Press conference held on arrests, indictments of 3 current, 3 former APD officers, 3 former PPD officers and 1 Oakland Housing Authority officer
Three Antioch officers charged with civil rights crimes for their alleged conspiracy to use unnecessary force in deploying munitions and a police K-9
“This is a complicated investigation. These always are.” – U.S. Attorney Ismail Ramsey – “Every defendant is assumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. No defendant is charged with all the charges in all the conduct.”
By Allen D. Payton
U.S. Attorney for the Northern California District Ismail Ramsey in his first press conference in San Francisco and Special Agent in Charge of the FBI San Francisco Division Robert Tripp, shared information about the 10 current and former Antioch and Pittsburg Police officers who were arrested this morning on multiple charges. It follows the four indictments issued by the federal Grand Jury, yesterday and which were unsealed, today.
Joining Ramsey and Tripp at the press conference were Contra Chief Assistant District Attorney Simon O’Connell and several members of the prosecution team, Laura Vartain, Chief of the U.S. Department of Justice Northern California Special Prosecution Unit including Alethea Sargent, Assistant U.S. Attorney, Criminal Division, Eric Cheng Assistant U.S. Attorney, Special Prosecutions, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ajay Krishnamurthy.
Indicted and arrested are current Antioch officers Morteza Amiri, Eric Allen Rombough and Community Service Officer Samantha Genoveva Peterson, former APD officers Daniel James Harris, Devon Christopher Wenger and Timothy Allen Manly Williams, as well as former Pittsburg officers Amanda Carmella Theodosy (aka Nash), Patrick James Berhan and Ernesto Juan Mejia-Orozco, and Oakland Housing Authority officer Brauli Rodriguez Jalapa.
After a year-and-a-half investigation by the FBI and Contra Costa DA’s Office for what were referred to as “crimes of moral turpitude”, committed by the current and former officers were finally described. Ramsey said they include conspiracy to violate civil rights, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, distributing anabolic steroids, obstruction and civil rights violations.
“Every defendant is assumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. No defendant is charged with all the charges in all the conduct,” he stated.
Ramsey then described the four indictments against the officers.
The first he labeled the “college degree benefits fraud indictment” in which “officers sought to defraud the Antioch and Pittsburg Police Departments. They hired people to attend classes and take exams for them. They conspired…to reap the financial benefits without putting in the work.”
“Two defendants are charged with distributing anabolic steroids,” Ramsey continued. “One of the two defendants destroyed evidence. Those are former Antioch officers Daniel Harris and Devon Wenger.
“One defendant is charged with obstruction indictment,” he continued. “A police officer destroyed, altered evidence to obstruct a federal investigation…monitored a wiretap. He used his own personal phone to call a defendant in the wiretap.” That refers to former Antioch officer Timothy Allen Manly Williams.
Ramsey said he is “Also charged with a civil rights violation in confiscating a citizen’s phone and destroying it to conceal evidence.”
The fourth he referred to as the “deprivations of rights indictment…a 29-page indictment of three officers in the Antioch Police Department.” They include the “improper deployment of canines and weapons to harm individuals in and around Antioch. They boasted about illegal use of force and texted photos of injured individuals,” Ramsey said. That indictment includes current officers Morteza Amiri, Eric Allen Rombough and Wenger.
He referred to them as “a group of officers who acted is if they were above the law. They tried to escape scrutiny by failing to submit truthful reports and deploy body warn cameras.”
Asked later about that claim since Antioch officers didn’t have body worn cameras during the time period of their alleged crimes, DOJ Nor Cal spokesman Abraham Simmons responded, “I am certain he is referencing the allegations actually in the indictments. I can look again at the indictments.”
“Officers take an oath,” Ramsey continued during the press conference. “The indictments paint a picture, today that demonstrate officers who have violated that oath.
“All officers indicted have been arrested,” he added and thanked those involved including CCDA Becton.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Tripp said, they “arrested nine subjects. All are or were associated with the Pittsburg or Antioch Police Departments. Three were current employees who had been placed on administrative leave.”
The arrests were made in “the Bay Area, Hawaii and Texas” and “more than 100 law enforcement employees participated,” he stated.
Tripp said it was the result of “more than two years of painstaking work.”
“The FBI treated these arrests like any other operation,” he said. “We used the same techniques and assessed the risks.
“This case has been the SF Field Office’s top priority,” Tripp continued. “We use the term color of law for the shorthand of someone using their official position to undermine public confidence in the law and undermine the fundamental rights of our citizens.”
“Color of law violations will not be tolerated. Not all indictments are color of law violations. Any breach of the public trust is unacceptable. Nobody is above the law,” he stated.
In response to a question from a member of the media “will more indictments be coming down,” Ramsey said, “The investigation is still continuing,” Ramsey said.
Asked “can we expect any state charges?” he said. “We’re here to comment on our charges. The investigation on the federal side is continuing. We are now at the point where we have indictments returned and individuals in custody.”
Asked where the court cases will be held Ramsey said, “This case is venued in Oakland. There have been numerous hearings today. The schedule for additional appearances is being worked out.”
Asked about those arrested in Texas and Hawaii Ramsey said, “The arraignments for those will happen in the districts where they were arrested. They then have to…be brought to here, to address the charges on this case.”
“Civil rights violations under the color of law are a priority…of my office and the FBI’s,” he stated
Asked about the text messages he responded, “As laid out in the indictment there’s a series of text messages…in which officers are bragging about violating citizens’ civil rights and texting photos of citizens. We believe these are egregious and has led to these charges. This is a complicated investigation. These always are. We have four of the ASA’s who worked tirelessly on this case. They’re prepared to take steps necessary to prosecute.”
“Civil rights violations are a unique priority of ours. I don’t want you to think steroid distribution or wire fraud are not serious. They’re federal violations,” Ramsey added.
Press Release Offers Additional Details in Indictments
A press release labeled “Bad Apples Indictment” was issued later Thursday with additional details about the indictments:
At the press conference, U.S. Attorney Ramsey referred to the first indictment as the “college degree benefits fraud indictment.” According to the indictment, six defendants engaged in a conspiracy to defraud police departments out of taxpayer dollars, including the Antioch and Pittsburg Police Departments, by claiming they had earned college credits toward degrees when, instead, they paid others to attend classes and take exams for them. Specifically, beginning in June of 2019, Officer Patrick James Berhan of the Pittsburg Police Department utilized a person identified as “Individual 1” to complete multiple college courses on his behalf. The courses were credited toward Berhan’s completion of a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice. Berhan allegedly received a degree and then applied for and received reimbursements and increases to his pay from Pittsburg Police Department. Further, the indictment alleges Berhan “promoted Individual 1’s services” and “benefited from payments received by Individual 1 in furtherance of the scheme.” The indictment describes how five other members of the police departments retained Individual 1 to complete similar coursework from the university. Each paid money to Individual 1, obtained a degree based on the fraudulent coursework, and applied for benefits including reimbursements and increases in pay from their law enforcement employer.
The second indictment charges two defendants with conspiring to distribute anabolic steroids. The indictment describes how Officers Daniel Harris and Devon Wenger, both of the Antioch Police Department, allegedly conspired illegally to distribute the drugs to an unnamed customer. The indictment also alleges that Harris possessed and attempted to possess the drugs, and that Wenger attempted to delete evidence of the scheme from his cellular phone prior to handing the phone over to law enforcement officers.
The third indictment charges a single defendant, Timothy Allen Manly Williams (Manly), also then with the Antioch Police Department, with three charges—two involving alleged interference with a wiretap investigation and the third involving the illegal seizure and destruction of a telephone. The indictment alleges that on March 23, 2021, Manly was assigned to a “wire room” where, pursuant to a court order, he was supposed to monitor communications between a target and others who contacted the target by telephone. While monitoring the target, Manly allegedly used his personal cellphone, dialed a special code to ensure his number would not appear to others, and called a target of the investigation. After dialing the number, Manly also designated his call to the target to be “non-pertinent” ensuring the 14-second conversation would not be recorded. Manly also allegedly made entries on the wire logs to suggest that the call he made resulted in no answer and no audio. The indictment further alleges that on May 6, 2021, Manly was on the scene when another officer deployed a police dog when arresting a person. Upon seeing a witness using a cellular telephone to record the aftermath of the incident, Manly allegedly seized the witness’s telephone and destroyed it.
The fourth indictment charges three Antioch police officers—Morteza Amiri, Eric Rombough, and Devon Wenger—with conspiracy against rights and deprivation of rights under color of law. The 29-page indictment describes how the defendants allegedly communicated with each other and others about using and intending to use excessive force against individuals in and around Antioch. The uses of excessive force included deployment of a K9, deployment of a 40mm “less lethal” launcher, and other unnecessary violence. Further, the indictment alleges that the defendants deployed uses of force as “punishment” to subjects “beyond any punishment appropriately imposed by the criminal justice system,” and allegedly made repeated reference to or suggestion of violating the civil rights of their victims. Examples in the indictment include the following:
- On July 24, 2019, Amiri allegedly pulled over a bicyclist, identified as A.A., for failing to have lights on after dark. The indictment alleges that “[i]n the course of apprehending A.A., Amiri punched him multiple times; K9 Purcy then bit A.A. in the arm, injuring him.” Amiri then shared pictures of the victim’s wounds with other Antioch police officers who exchanged text messages including: “Yeah buddy good boy pursy,” “F[expletive] that turd,” and Amiri later stated “Detectives already called PRCS and got him a 45 day violation and we are gonna leave it at that so i don’t have to go to court for the bite. easy.” In response to a question from another officer about what cut the dog’s face, Amiri responded, “that’s a piece of the suspect’s flesh lol.”
- On October 8, 2020, Amiri allegedly sent a text message identifying a transient living in Antioch identified as M.Z. stating “anyone that finds him gets code [a free meal or beverage]. This f[expletive] stole my mail and was trying to open accounts under my name.” Wenger responded “Lets beat his f[expletive] ass I’m down after work morty” According to the indictment, the recipients of Amiri’s message located M.Z. later that evening. Amiri then arrived on the scene, shoved M.Z. against a wall and threatened to kill him. The indictment also alleges that a few months later Amiri texted another group of officers in reference to M.Z., “few months ago, I tracked him down and dragged him to the back of a car to ‘discuss’ the matter,” and “putting a pistol in someone’s mouth and telling them to stop stealing isn’t illegal. . . it’s an act of public service to prevent further victims of crimes”
- On May 5, 2021, Rombough accompanied other Antioch police officers who responded to a report that transients were living inside a privately-owned unit. While responding, Rombough and another officer located a couple lying on a bed inside a room. Rombough deployed a 40mm less lethal launcher at one of the persons on the bed, hitting them in the chest and knocking them off the bed.
- On August 24, 2021, Rombough accompanied other Antioch police officers as they executed a search warrant at a residence in Antioch. Officers located a subject—identified as J.W.—inside a locked bedroom holding a video game controller while sitting on an air mattress, with a video game on a television screen. W. removed a pair of headphones and raised his hands as officers, including Rombough, entered the room. One officer took J.W.’s left arm to arrest him as four other officers surrounded J.W. As the other officer held J.W.’s left arm on the bed, Rombough deployed the 40mm less lethal launcher at J.W., injuring him.
The indictment describes several other incidents of excessive force as well as the collection and sharing of pictures to memorialize acts of violence and the collection by defendant Rombough of spent munitions to commemorate his deployment of the 40mm launcher.
An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The indictments charge the following defendants with crimes as follows:
In addition, as part of any sentence following conviction, the court may order defendants to serve an additional term of supervised release to begin after a prison term as well as additional fines, and restitution, if appropriate. Any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
The case is being prosecuted by the Special Prosecutions Section and Oakland Branch of the United States Attorney’s Office. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI and the Office of the District Attorney of Contra Costa County.
Further Information:
Case #s:
23 CR 264 JSW – 23-cr-00264 JSW 08162023 indictment
DEFENDANT(S)
PATRICK JAMES BERHAN,
MORTEZA AMIRI,
AMANDA CARMELLA THEODOSY,
a/k/a AMANDA CARMELLA NASH,
SAMANTHA GENOVEVA PETERSON,
ERNESTO JUAN MEJIA-OROZCO, and
BRAULI RODRIGUEZ JALAPA
INDICTMENT
18 U.S.C. § 1349 – Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud (one count)
18 U.S.C. § 1343 – Wire Fraud (six counts)
18 U.S.C. § 981(a)(1)(C) and 28 U.S.C. § 2461(c) – Forfeiture Allegation
23 CR 267 YGR – 23-cr-00267 YGR 08162023 indictment
DEFENDANT(S)
TIMOTHY ALLEN MANLY WILLIAMS
INDICTMENT
18 U.S.C. § 1519 – Destruction, Alteration, and Falsification of Records in Federal Investigations;
18 U.S.C. § 1512(c)(2) – Obstruction of Official Proceedings;
18 U.S.C. § 242 – Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law
23 CR 268 HSG – 23-cr-00268 HSG 08162023 indictment
DEFENDANT(S)
DANIEL JAMES HARRIS and
DEVON CHRISTOPHER WENGER
INDICTMENT
21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1), and (b)(1)(E)(i) – Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Anabolic Steroids;
21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1), and (b)(1)(E)(i) – Attempted Possession with Intent to Distribute Anabolic Steroids;
21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(E)(i) – Possession with Intent to Distribute Anabolic Steroids;
18 U.S.C. § 1519 – Destruction, Alteration, and Falsification of Records in Federal Investigations
21 U.S.C. § 853 – Forfeiture Allegation
23 CR 269 AMO – 23-cr-00269 AMO 08162023 indictment
DEFENDANT(S)
MORTEZA AMIRI,
ERIC ALLEN ROMBOUGH, and
DEVON CHRISTOPHER WENGER
INDICTMENT
18 U.S.C. § 241 – Conspiracy Against Rights (one count)
18 U.S.C. § 242 – Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law (seven counts)
18 U.S.C. § 1519 – Destruction, Alteration, and Falsification of Records in Federal Investigations (one count)
A copy of this press release will be placed on the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s website at www.usdoj.gov/usao/can.
Electronic court filings and further procedural and docket information are available at https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
Judges’ calendars with schedules for upcoming court hearings can be viewed on the court’s website at www.cand.uscourts.gov.
“Police officers promise to enforce laws for the protection of the public and to protect the rights of the accused,” said U.S. Attorney Ramsey. “That is the job. The indictments describe officers who are alleged to have violated this oath. When this happens, the damage done to the public trust cannot easily be calculated. This office will not rest until all persons who have engaged in this sort of behavior are apprehended and prosecuted.”
“This case is one of the highest priorities for the San Francisco Field Office,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Tripp. “Law enforcement officers bear a tremendous responsibility to police our communities lawfully in keeping with the constitution, and we must always be true to that guiding principle. I want to extend my sincere appreciation to the FBI agents, analysts, and law enforcement partners who worked tirelessly on this case and whose efforts culminated in the operations today.”
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